Mayoral elections in city on Jan 10

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 19

The elections to the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be held on January 10. Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh today approved the election schedule. The last mayoral poll was held on January 18.

As per the schedule, the election will be held on January 10 in the assembly hall of the MC building.

Candidates can file papers proposed and seconded by two other members of the corporation.

This time the post of Mayor is reserved for women candidates while last year, it was reserved for SC candidates.

A councilor nominated by the DC will conduct the election proceedings.

As per the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act implemented in the UT, the incumbent Mayor will continue to hold the post till the new Mayor is elected.

The annual mayoral poll is held in the beginning of year.

BJP councillor Rajesh Kalia was elected the 23rd Mayor of the city on January 18 this year. Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla, who is Leader of the Opposition, said there was no reason for delaying the election. He said the election should be held on January 1. “The election was held on January 1 without fail during the Congress regime,” Babla added.

With the election schedule having been announced, the race for the tickets in the BJP is likely to intensify. Former mayors Rajbala Malik and Asha Jaswal and councillors Heera Negi and Sunita Dhawan are in the race for the post of Mayor in the BJP.

The party had witnessed high drama during the last mayoral elections when Rajesh Kalia, a BJP candidate faced opposition from Satish Kainth, who rebelled against the party choice.